


Something of a Habit

by SPowell



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Fish out of Water, M/M, Office Romance, Pretend Boyfriends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-08
Updated: 2015-08-08
Packaged: 2018-04-13 13:21:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4523616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SPowell/pseuds/SPowell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur is a practical joker and Merlin is an introvert with a crush. When Arthur recruits Merlin for his next prank, Merlin doesn't know what to think.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something of a Habit

**Author's Note:**

> For Tropes Bingo, using the squares Pretend Boyfriend and Fish out of Water.
> 
> Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. They belong to BBC, Shine, and legend.

It was well-known at Pendragon Industries that Arthur Pendragon loved a good joke. Not the kind with a story that ends with a punch line, but the kind where someone gets fooled and it’s funny. Practical jokes, Merlin thought they were called, although he’d never played one himself; he was much too shy for that and preferred to remain in the background whenever possible. He wouldn’t even venture to apply for work at such a large and illustrious company as Pendragon; he was recruited fresh out of uni because he was the best in his field and Pendragon only hired the best.

Merlin had to admit, Arthur’s jokes were amusing. Once he convinced the entire fourth floor to make Gwaine think his hair was thinning. He got people to casually comment on it, sending Gwaine rushing to the mirror at all hours of the work day, and Arthur even had Gwaine’s flat mate steal hair from his brush so Arthur could place strands of it on Gwaine’s desk and chair, and sometimes even his shoulders. Merlin felt certain that mind-numbing relief had everything to do with Gwaine’s good humour at the joke reveal.

Arthur's sister, Morgana, was notorious for bragging that she could eat whatever she wanted and never gain an ounce. Arthur rigged the scale in her office so that it read a stone heavier, which made Morgana crazy. She immediately put herself on a strict low-carb and no sugar diet. Every day Arthur had Vivian make one of her wonderful cakes and bring it into the office to tempt Morgana, and Arthur would go in after hours and push the scale up another couple of ounces.

The fall-out from this particular prank was not pretty.

Where there was Arthur, there was joviality, but Merlin avoided the son of the CEO as much as possible. He preferred to remain on the peripheral of things, watching but not participating. That’s why Merlin was appalled when Arthur drafted him for his next prank.

The work day began much as any other, with Merlin working hard on his designs. At noon he had a quick lunch with Freya, who worked in accounting on the first floor, in which they discussed their mutual unrequited crushes, each never hoping for more than the forlorn throb of loving someone from afar. Freya had a thing for Geraint, one of Merlin’s co-workers in the art department, and Merlin… well, Merlin’s heart lay with a certain blond that would never notice him in a million years. And that was okay with Merlin, for there was a certain sense of comfort living in his dream world.

So much did Merlin not want to put himself within Arthur’s orbit, that had he known Arthur was on the lift that day, Merlin would never have stepped on; but Arthur’s tell-tale shining blond head was bowed as he looked at his mobile, and his fit body was blocked from Merlin’s sight by a particularly large woman from customer service, so Merlin boarded, the doors closed, and it was too late to do anything about it when Arthur’s eyes came up and met Merlin’s.

Finding himself in such close proximity to Arthur was bad enough— Arthur’s expensive cologne and the rustle of fine fabric every time Arthur shifted on the soles of his butter-soft leather shoes gave Merlin fantasy fodder for the next month--but those deep blue eyes focused on him, sizing him up, made Merlin so weak in the knees, he had to prop himself against the wall so as not to melt into the floor.

“You,” Arthur said, gaze wandering over Merlin in his white button-down shirt rolled up at the sleeves and dark brown slacks.

“Pardon?” Merlin struggled to process the fact that Arthur Pendragon actually seemed to be talking to him. He glanced at the customer service lady, but she was immersed in her own thoughts and not even looking their way.

“I said that you have appeared just in time.”

Merlin was pretty sure Arthur hadn’t said that much because it had only sounded like one word, but he thought it probably not best to point that out. As the lift doors opened, Arthur took Merlin by the hand, and every nerve in Merlin's body began to sing the Halleluiah Chorus. A bolt of pure desire mixed with dreamy admiration shot through him, causing him to wobble a little as Arthur led him down the hall, slipping his arm about Merlin’s waist just before opening the doors to the employee break room and escorting him through.

“Just follow my lead,” Arthur whispered into Merlin’s ear, hot breath sending shivers down Merlin’s spine.

Merlin let out something that sounded mortifyingly like a squeak and tried not to faint as he felt Arthur’s fingers curl just above his belt.

“Good afternoon, Sophia, did you have a nice lunch?” Arthur asked the blond sitting at the table with a cup of tea. She was Uther’s secretary and always reminded Merlin a bit of a pug-ish lap dog.

“Oh…Mr Pendragon.” Sophia jumped up so fast she almost spilled her cup. “I’m…er, I skipped lunch to finish those reports your father wanted and now I’m just having a snack while he...” She gestured toward the back hall where the executive bathrooms were located. At the same moment, she seemed to realize that Arthur had his arm around Merlin’s waist, and her eyes widened perceptively.

“Tea and pastry don’t make a good lunch, Sophia,” Arthur said, and tugged Merlin through another door. There was an executive bathroom on every floor, doubtlessly because the executives couldn’t possibly piss in the same room as the peons. Looking over his shoulder, Merlin saw Sophia’s head poke around the door to watch them.

“Sir?” Merlin wanted to object that he couldn’t possibly enter the executive wash room as it was for _executives,_ but currently his cock was using up all his blood, so speaking coherently enough to relay that was impossible.

Arthur pulled Merlin inside the lounge. Arthur had that intense, determined look that Merlin had often seen when he was elbow deep in work and Merlin was skulking by his office on his way to run something by Arthur’s terrifying sister, trying not to be seen while his eyes still lapped up as much of Arthur has they possibly could in the meantime.

“This is nicer than my flat,” Merlin said, once through the door. The fixtures were gold and the wallpaper a soft eggshell white. An elegant yet comfortable-looking sofa graced the far wall with matching end tables with delicate robin’s egg blue shades. Two matching chairs of a deeper blue faced one another. Merlin thought the colour a nice change from the Pendragon red that pervaded the rest of the building and sometimes made Merlin think of a brothel.

Arthur’s fair brows dipped into a V.

“You think my company resembles a whore house?”

“Um.” Merlin tried to think fast, but Arthur still held him about the waist and his lips looked particularly dark and kissable, and Merlin’s feeble brain just couldn’t recover. “S-sorry. Sometimes I say things without realizing.”

Arthur stared at Merlin intently for a moment before appearing to shake himself out of his thoughts.

“Remember, follow my lead,” he said just before crowding Merlin against the door and letting out the most sinful moan Merlin had ever heard.

“Oh, fuck, _yes_ , right there, Merlin!”

The amazing fact that Arthur Pendragon knew his name came secondary to the feel of Arthur trailing his perfect, pouty lips over the column of Merlin’s neck.

“Bloody hell!” Merlin grabbed onto Arthur’s waist with trembling hands, heart beating crazily against his ribcage. A toilet flushed in next room, and when the door swung open to reveal Uther Pendragon, CEO of the company, Merlin’s eyes almost fell out of his head.

“Arthur! What is the meaning of this?” Uther seemed to tower over them, the room, and the very world. Merlin had only witnessed the CEO’s formidable presence twice during his three years at the company, and that had been twice too many.

Merlin’s fingers dug into Arthur’s sides, willing him to disengage his lips from Merlin’s neck and face the angry visage behind him.

“Arthur!” Uther’s voice didn’t exactly shake the room, but by its thunderous tone and sheer volume, Merlin thought it should have.

Slowly Arthur raised his head, and Merlin just caught his wink before Arthur turned around to look at his father.

“Father!” Arthur deserved a BAFTA award for his look of blinking befuddlement followed by abject horror.

“I warned you, Arthur. This is the last straw. Pack up your desk and get out.”

“But Father…”

“I said, out!” Uther pointed at the door with a finger rivaling that of the Ghost of Christmas Past before disappearing back into the washroom.

Merlin waited for the punchline. Perhaps Arthur thought it funny to make his father believe he was bent, and now he was going to follow his dad into the loo and reveal the joke. They would all three have a laugh over the gold urinal before getting back to work. He looked to Arthur, but Arthur’s face had become stone.

“Come on,” Arthur said. He took Merlin’s hand and led him out of the lounge area. At the end of the hall Sophia scrambled through the door into the break room, and Arthur ignored her as he and Merlin strode through.

“I don’t think this will have repercussions on you,” Arthur said as he pulled Merlin down the hall by the hand. Merlin couldn’t help but notice Arthur’s strong grip, slightly rough palm, and long, warm fingers that curled pleasantly around his. “Father rarely remembers faces around here. This place is just a machine filled with cogs who run it. You’re nothing to him.”

“But…that was just a joke, wasn’t it? When are you going to tell him you’re not gay and that wasn’t really a snog?” Merlin’s mind fought to keep up with what was happening. He was supposed to be at his desk with all his colourful pens and a fresh sheet of art paper, not tramping down the halls of Pendragon with Arthur Pendragon himself, the feeling of Arthur’s lips still tingling all over his neck where there was undoubtedly a love bite displayed in the perfect shape of Arthur’s mouth.

Arthur pulled Merlin onto the lift, pressed the button for the top floor, and turned to face him.

“But I am gay, Merlin.”

Merlin’s cock rejoiced at this bit of news, trying to poke its head through his zipper to get a glimpse of the object of its affection.

“And how do you know my name?” Merlin asked.

Arthur’s lips tilted up on one side.

“Oh, I know more than your name. I know you were born in Ealdor, that you live with your best mate Will, that you graduated top of your class, and that you have a cat named Sparkles.” He took a step closer. “I also know that you have the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen and lips that make me crazy.”

Merlin stared, transfixed, unable to think of a thing to say. When Arthur leaned in and kissed him, Merlin could only open his mouth and take it like a man.

The lift doors slid open and Merlin heard a gasp followed by a thunk. He pulled back from Arthur’s arms and got a quick glimpse of Freya in a heap on the floor just before the doors shut.

“Oops,” Arthur said, “we went down rather than up.”

Merlin didn’t feel too badly about leaving Freya there, as he knew Freya would gladly take one for the team, but he quickly texted Gilly from her department to check on her. This time the lift moved upward, stopping when it reached the very top floor.

“What the bloody hell…” Merlin shook his head then jumped when Arthur glanced at him.

“Talking to yourself out loud again, Merlin?” He looked amused as he led Merlin down another hall. “We’re going to pack up my office, of course.”

Arthur pushed the door open to reveal a room easily as large as Merlin’s entire department.

“I’ll leave the bordello décor here, of course.” Arthur smirked a little and opened the closet, removing a box.

Merlin blushed. He watched as Arthur began emptying his drawers. One would think he would be upset, having just been fired, but Merlin thought Arthur seemed quite chipper.

“Will you tell me what’s going on now, please?” Merlin’s lips still burned from the kiss in the lift. If he tore his clothes off right now and leaned over Arthur’s desk to be debauched, it would all quite nicely wrap up his favourite wank fantasy, except for the part where Uther Pendragon caught them in a fake clinch in the executive loo.

“I suppose I owe you that,” Arthur said, inserting a flash drive into the PC and systematically loading it with files, pert arse sticking out at an angle. Merlin almost moaned with disappointment when Arthur sat in the chair.

“I decided I no longer wished to work here. Not only does my father dislike the fact that I’m gay and want me to marry a woman of his choice, but he treats me like a three-year-old and works me like a dog.” He glanced up at Merlin. “Hence my taste for playing jokes on people; it’s the only enjoyment I get.” He removed the flash drive and tucked it in his pocket, giving it a pat. “I am going to take my clients and start my own firm. Lance, Leon, and Gwen are going to join me.”

“But…why the scene in the bathroom?”

Arthur leaned back in his black leather chair.

“My father is a proud man. Better for him to fire me than for me to desert him. In time he’ll come to respect me for making my own success after my downfall, and we’ll be on good terms again. We’ll both have what we want.”

“So you angered him on purpose, using me to do it?” Merlin looked at Arthur dubiously. “No offense, but your family’s weird.” He couldn’t muster up any anger himself at being used, as he had enjoyed it so thoroughly.

Arthur’s wide smile was a beam of sunlight in the room and made Merlin’s stomach flutter.

“Indeed we are, Merlin. Indeed we are.”

“Then what was the kiss in the lift for? No one was watching us then.”

“Weren’t you listening at all, you dolt?” Arthur stood and skirted his desk to stand before Merlin, taking both his hands in his, thumbs running along the tops in a way that short circuited Merlin’s brain just when it was beginning to regain its function. “I’ve been watching you for a long time. If you’d ever actually noticed me, you’d have seen that.”

“You have?”

Arthur nodded and leaned in to kiss Merlin again.

“But…why would you…why me?”

“Why you what?” Arthur’s eyes twinkled, but when Merlin didn’t immediately answer, he relented and continued. “I always wanted it to be you, and when you appeared in the lift with me, I decided to take the opportunity. I probably never would have been able to track you down later, as you tend to scamper out of my path like a frightened rabbit.”

Merlin let this sink in. Tightening his hold on Arthur’s hands, he stepped closer so that their noses almost touched.

“You can’t possibly think I didn’t notice you, you plonker.”

Arthur’s eyes lit up.

“Merlin, did you just call your boss a plonker?” Arthur wrapped Merlin’s arms around himself.

“You’re not my boss any longer.” Merlin grinned.

“I never thought I’d see that grin directed at me.” Arthur’s eyes were soft.

“I only didn’t look at you because of the effect you have on me.” Merlin brushed his lips lightly over Arthur’s. He couldn’t believe he was doing this; he couldn’t believe it was so _easy_. Arthur made it easy.

“And what effect is that?” Arthur asked. His breath was soft against Merlin’s mouth, and Merlin leaned in close so Arthur could feel the effect he had on him.

“Oh, God…”

Arthur kissed Merlin fiercely, and Merlin soon realized he had an effect on Arthur Pendragon, too.

“Let’s get out of here,” Arthur said.

“But I have to get back to work!”

“What if I offer you a job at my new company?” Arthur tucked the box under one arm and flipped off the light.

“I suppose that might work.”

Merlin allowed himself to be drug from the room by the hand, which was becoming something of a habit.

Merlin thought he could live with that.

 

 

 

 ---End--


End file.
